Shadow Children series 1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone, it's Jameer14. This is my first fan fiction for the shadow children series. Enjoy!:**

**One**

Luke Garner sat down to join his family for dinner.

A whole year had passed since he had successfully brought down the Population Police and the corrupt government that had founded it.

Luke's father looked at the five members of his family at the dinner table.

"It feels so great to be able to have all five of us at the dinner table," he said.

"Dad," said Matthew. "It's been a year and you've been saying that at least twice a month."

"I know, I know," said Harlan Garner. "Anyway, let's eat!"

Luke looked down at the grilled chicken, potatoes and white rice on his plate and began to eat.

Halfway through his meal, Luke's phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Nina.

"Uh, mom, may I be excused?" asked Luke.

"Sure, honey," replied his mother.

Luke got up from the table, answered the phone and walked into the family room.

"Hello?" said Luke as he sat on the beige sofa across from the TV.

"Hey, Luke," he heard Nina say. "Mr. Hendricks called an emergency meeting at the school!"

"_Now_?" asked Luke. "But I was eating dinner!"

"Luke, I'm sorry, but Mr. Hendricks really wants you there along with me, Matthias, Percy, Trey and Alia."

"Did he tell you what the meeting was about?" asked Luke.

"No," replied Nina. "But the meeting starts in twenty minutes."

Luke sighed. "I'm on my way," he said.

"Thanks, Luke," said Nina. "See you there."

Luke hung up, stood up and walked back to the dining room.

Matthew looked at Luke expectantly. "What was that about?" he asked.

Luke frowned. "My presence has been requested at a meeting at Mr. Hendricks' school."

Luke's mother sighed. "Well, you'd better get going," she said.

Luke crossed through the dining room and out the front door.

To the right of the driveway where his parents parked their pickup truck, Luke saw his bike lying on its side.

He picked it up, hopped on and began to ride to Mr. Hendricks' school for boys. As he rode, Luke thought about how much things had changed since overthrowing the country's old government. He, Nina, Trey, Matthias and their families had all moved into an upper class neighborhood near Mr. Hendricks and his school. The move, the houses and even some luxuries were paid by the new government as a token of thanks. And an incentive to keep an eye out for people who pose a threat to the new government.

Both of Luke's parents were government officials and Smits had moved out to help with efforts to find Oscar and Aldous. The two biggest threats to the young government.

Luke, Percy, Matthias and Trey regularly attended Mr. Hendricks' school.

Nina and Alia went to the girl's school on the other side of the woods.

Luke slowed down his bike as the cabin Mr. Hendricks lived in came into sight.

**Want to know why Mr. Hendricks called the meeting? Find out in Chapter Two, which I'll upload after I get ****_FIVE _****reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_WARNING_****: This fan fiction has been a failure so far with only 17 views and 1 review. I've decided to upload the 2****nd**** chapter, but if things don't pick up, this story will receive a sad, quick ending. And knowing the epicness of the Shadow Children Series, I'd hate to do that. But I'll do what's necessary. If you want this to stay, let people know about this story! Otherwise, on February 19****th****, this will receive a quick, sad ending.**

**Two**

Luke slowed his bike down and set it down, next to the door he knocked on.

Trey answered the door and invited Luke in.

The only thing that bothered Luke, though, was that Trey called him Lee. Not Luke. And he really didn't like being addressed with the fake ID name he'd first been given. But there was really nothing he could do about it. Some of his friends called him Lee. Others called him Luke.

Trey led Luke to a round table where Mr. Hendricks, Nina, Matthias, Percy, and Alia were already seated.

Luke and Trey sat down at the two empty chairs at the table.

"Thank you for joining us, Luke," said Mr. Hendricks. "And sorry to any inconvenience this caused not only for you, but also the others. So far."

"So far?" repeated Percy. "What do you mean, _so far_?"

Mr. Hendricks hesitated before answering Percy's question. "Well, I have some good news, and I have some bad news," he said. "The good news is that Smits and I have a pretty good idea where Oscar and Aldous are."

"That's great," admitted Matthias. "But where is Smits anyway. Shouldn't he be here anyway?"

Mr. Hendricks pursed his lips together. "That's the bad news," he said. "I sent Smits and twenty other soldiers to the location, but none of them have returned or contacted me."

"Oh, no!" said Alia. "How long has it been since you've sent them?"

"Ten days," replied Mr. Hendricks. "I fear that the worst may have happened to them."

"That they're dead?" asked Trey.

"That or captured," answered Mr. Hendricks. "Anyway, I was hoping that you all would go there and see what's going on."

Luke didn't like that idea. As much as he liked Smits, he didn't think he could ever look Oscar eye to eye again. Or worse. Aldous.

"Where is this location?" asked Nina.

"It's in a city called Innocens about twenty miles north of Chiutza," replied Mr. Hendricks.

Luke remembered Chiutza. It was the city with the woman who refused to get an ID card, and then Luke didn't shoot her, which was the start of a long overthrow.

"Isn't Innocens that one city where the old Government burned it to the ground after suspicions of a third child community arose?" asked Matthias.

Mr. Hendricks nodded. "Only one building still stands," he said. "This large warehouse near the western border of the city."

"It would make perfect sense for Oscar and Aldous to hide there," said Trey. "No one lives there anymore, and there's a warehouse for shelter. I would hide there if I were them."

"Yes, Trey has a valid point," Matthias said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm in!"

"Me too!" said Percy and Alia simultaneously.

"Me three!" said Nina.

"If you think I'm gonna say no, you're crazy," said Trey.

"Well, I guess I'm in," Luke said.

Mr. Hendricks smiled. "Good! Now before you all leave, Mr. Talbot and I were talking and figured that you guys should carry a gun for self defense," he told them.

Luke didn't like the idea of carrying a gun and certainly not firing one if things came to that.

"Are you sure that's necessary?" asked Percy. "We're going after two people!"

"That may be the case, but consider this," said Mr. Hendricks. "I sent twenty one people after two people. I fear that Oscar and Aldous have a handful of goons helping them."

"Mr. H has a good point," admitted Nina.

"Ok, but what about Mr. Talbot?" asked Luke. "Doesn't he want to help us?"

Mr. Hendricks shifted uncomfortably in his wheel chair. "He's really busy doing research," he told them.

"What's he researching?" asked Alia.

Mr. H shifted uncomfortably again. "He and I think that for now, the six of you shouldn't know," he said as he pulled a black, leather briefcase from the floor onto the table.

"What's that?" asked Matthias.

"This contains your guns and the keys to Mr. Talbot's SUV," said Mr. Hendricks.

He slid the briefcase across the table to Trey, and told him he'd be driving.

Luke made a mental note to stay away from the briefcase as much as possible.

Trey slowly opened the briefcase, carefully pulled out a car key, and closed the briefcase.

"I'm assuming that this is our cue to leave," Matthias stated.

Mr. H nodded. "Good luck," he told them. "I have a lot of faith that you'll bring Oscar and Aldous to justice!"

Trey stood up. "Thanks," he said. Then he looked at Luke, Nina, Matthias, Percy, and Alia. "Let's go."

**What will happen once they arrive in Innocens? Will Oscar and Aldous have an army that Trey, Luke, Nina, Matthias, Percy, and Alia will have to face? Find out in Chapter Three, which I'll upload if this story gets rises to my satisfaction level by February 19****th****, which means ****_REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!_**

**~Jameer14**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, this story has picked up considerably enough and I have decided to continue the story. By the way, I started a ****_Shadow Children Series_**** crossover with Danny Phantom called ****_Among the Phantoms_****. I encourage fans of both series to check it out. Anyway, here is Chapter 3! Enjoy!:**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own ****_The Shadow Children Series. _****It is owned by Margaret Peterson Haddix and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.**

**Three**

As Luke sat in the back seat of the minivan between Alia and Nina, he wished he had given his family a more elaborate goodbye. Of course, He'd had no way of knowing that Mr. Hendricks would be sending them after the two most wanted men in the country.

As Trey started the car, Nina turned to Luke.

"Do you think that this mission will interfere with Jen's memorial ceremony on Friday?" asked Nina.

"Doubt it," Luke answered. "Today's Wednesday. We have two full days, since the memorial is on Friday night."

"Let's just hope that things don't take a turn for the worse," said Nina as she leaned her head against the window.

Luke bit his lip. Now that he thought about it, if Oscar and Aldous did have some goons working for them, would Luke and the others be able to rescue Smits and the soldiers before Friday night? It was a lot to do in forty eight hours, but Luke was determined to attend Jen's memorial. Even if he only made it in time for the last sixty seconds.

As Trey pulled onto the highway, he looked back briefly at Luke.

"You'd better get comfortable back there," said Trey. "According to this GPS, we won't arrive there until tomorrow morning."

Luke sighed as he shifted in his seat and closed his eyes.

"Uh, guys, you may wanna hear this story on the radio," said Matthias from the passenger's seat.

The radio's volume was turned up and Luke heard a radio announcer's voice.

"Hello, I'm Jeff Smith and we're back from this commercial break, continuing coverage on this story that we first broke to you during our six o'clock newscast," said the announcer. "Just a few minutes ago, the jail released some information in a twenty page document that our legal correspondent, Lisa Turner, has been combing through."

"Well, Jeff, this document is filled with _lots_ of details, but here's the basic story," said Lisa. "Yesterday night, Jason Barstow was brought in for questioning after being seen in a recent photograph with Oscar Wydell and Aldous Krakenour, the two most wanted men in our new and improved country. After refusing to cooperate with police, Barstow was arrested. Today around five o'clock p.m., the Putman county police department reported him missing."

Luke opened his eyes and noticed that Nina that was looking out the window uncomfortably. He remembered that she used to be in love with Jason.

"The jail also released surveillance video from the Northern gates of the prison," continued Lisa. "The video shows three grown men burning the building Barstow was in. As the inmates were evacuated, the men are seen running through the gate they broke open with Jason following them."

"Do these men resemble Oscar or Aldous at all?" asked Jeff.

"Well, after taking a closer look, the police say that they do not believe that any of the men are Oscar or Aldous," replied Lisa. "But there was no chase when Barstow escaped, because by the time the police realized what was going on, a good amount of time had passed, so they just sent out search dogs and deputies to take a look around the local area. But viewers can go to our website to take a look at the surveillance video, and if anyone recognizes these men, you are urged to call your local police station or the crime line."

"In other news—" began Jeff, but the radio was switched off.

"Do you think that those three men worked for Oscar and Aldous?" asked Matthias.

"It's very likely," Trey replied. "Nina, do you—"

"No!" interrupted Nina. "If you're gonna ask me if I still have feeling for Jason, the answer is no!"

Trey spoke after a small silence. "Uh, actually, I was gonna ask if you agreed with is."

"Oh," said Nina sheepishly. "Well, I do agree with you, then."

"But here's the thing," said Luke. "Will Jason be with Oscar and Aldous? Because if he will be with them, then that's one more person we have to worry about."

"Not to mention the minions that Aldous and Oscar could have with them," Alia added.

"This isn't very encouraging," pointed out Trey.

"I know," admitted Matthias. "I just really wish that Mr. Talbot were here to help us."

"It would be helpful," Trey agreed. "But we have to respect his research."

"Uh, guys, shouldn't we have a plan for when we get to the warehouse?" asked Percy. "We can't just barge in there, wing it, and expect to be successful!"

"True," agreed Nina. "A plan would be helpful. Should we split up? Have some of us go inside while the rest of us go in and the ones still in here can be reinforcements if needed?"

Luke shook his head. "There are too many things that could go wrong with that."

Percy tapped his chin. "Well, strategically, the best thing that we can do is enter with our guns drawn, ready to shoot," he said. "We don't know what we're going up against."

Luke frowned. "Look, I didn't even want to bring guns in the first place!" he complained. "What makes you think that I'll be willing to hold a gun, ready to shoot it?"

"What other suggestions do you have?" asked Percy. "The guns are for self defense and we need to be prepared to defend ourselves."

"He does have a point," Nina pointed out.

Luke sighed. "Fine!" he said. "Don't expect me to voluntarily hold one of those things, though."

"Than it's settled," said a satisfied Percy.

Luke sighed, rolled his eyes, closed them and went to sleep.

**What do you think of this Chapter? How do you think the story's going? REVIEW and let me know! And if I get five new, positive reviews, I'll post the next chapter sooner. Don't forget to check out my ****_Shadow Children Series_**** and Danny Phantom crossover: ****_Among the Phantoms_****.**

**~Jameer14**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N****: Hey, Everyone! Sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter. I've been meaning to do it, but things get in the way and it gets pushed back. Anyway, remember to feel free to express what you think through reviewing. Without further ado, here's Chapter Four. Enjoy!:**

**IV**

When Luke woke up the next morning, he yawned and looked around the vehicle.

Trey, Percy, Alia and Matthias were all comfortably asleep in their seats. Nina was not in the car.

Luke looked out the right window and saw that the minivan was now parked next to a large, charred building about two stories tall.

_That must be the warehouse_, thought Luke.

He then turned his thoughts to Nina. Where had she gone? Luke figured that there was only one way to find out.

First, he debated whether or not to bring the others. After a while, Luke decided that it wasn't necessary. If Nina was doing what he predicted she was doing, it would waste everyone else's time.

So he quietly unbuckled his seatbelt and quietly snuck out of the minivan.

After slowly sliding the door shut, Luke began to walk away from the warehouse towards piles of rubble scattered around the area. It seemed that there was about a ten to twenty yard distance between each pile of debris, which, on average, was ten feet tall.

There was one heap in particular that was thirty feet tall. Luke decided to climb to the top to get a better view of the fallen city.

The ascent wasn't too difficult and didn't take long at all. When Luke got to the top, he realized that there wasn't much too see. It was just pile after pile of rubble.

_Man, I feel sorry for whoever lived in this city when it was burned_, thought Luke.

He decided that he should probably climb down and go back to the minivan. But then he immediately realized that he could just call Nina.

Luke pulled out his phone, unlocked it and saw that he had several missed calls. All coming from his house.

_Oh no_, thought Luke. My family was calling last night. _They must have thought I was returning from Mr. Hendricks's meeting! I never told them that I was going out of town._

Luke decided to return their calls. After five rings, he heard his father's voice.

"Hello, you have reached the Garner residents," said Luke's father. "Sorry that we can't get to the phone right now. Please leave your name and number after the beep and we will get back to you ASAP. Thanks and bye!"

Luke heard the beep. "Hi, guys, sorry for not answering your calls last night," he said. "Mr. Hendricks sent me and my friends out of town on a mission. Hopefully, I'll be home tonight in time for dinner. If not, I will make sure that I'm back in time for Jen's memorial tomorrow. See you later!"

Luke hung up put his phone away. He looked down and saw Nina walking past the pile of rubble that he was on top of.

Luke called her name and she looked up at him.

"How come you left?" called Luke.

Nina quickly climbed up the pile of debris that Luke was on before answering his question.

"I just wanted to go for a walk to think," Nina replied. "The car isn't too comfortable and I was gonna make sure that I came back before everyone else woke up."

The two sat down, facing away from the warehouse about fifty feet behind them.

There was a long silence before Nina looked at Luke and asked, "If Mr. Hendricks was right about Oscar and Aldous having servants, do you think that we have any chance successfully arresting them?"

Luke thought about that. If he, Nina, Trey, Matthias, Percy, and Alia badly outnumbered, despite having guns, could they really defend themselves?

There was a one hundred percent chance there would be a fight. But if Smits and his army lost, then who could possibly win?

**~Jameer14**


End file.

Shadow Children series, Mystery, Suspense